Update: The house sold for $205,000 on September 13, 2022.
Kitchens are among the trickiest rooms of historic houses. How do you balance historic character with practicality? Most homeowners are willing to sacrifice character for the benefits of modern lighting, adequate cabinet space and a convenient outlet for the microwave. With Mid-Century Modern, though, a time-capsule kitchen can be both livable and authentic.
Consider 108 Jackson Road in Mount Airy. Joe and Eleanor Powell built their home around 1955. Now, for sale for the first time, it’s in very good condition. The kitchen is beautiful, a trip back into the Age of Turquoise. Undisturbed by nearly 70 years of decorating styles, trends and fads, it’s worth celebrating.
Joe Pete Powell (1926-1979) and Eleanor Greenwood Powell (1930-2021) were married in 1949. Although county property records give the date of the house as 1954, the price listed on the 1955 deed ($1,650) suggests they built the house after buying the property.
Joe was in the restaurant business before joining Piedmont Aviation in Winston-Salem. He was wholesale distribution manager at the time of his death from a heart attack at age 52 in 1979. Eleanor owned the house for the rest of her life, another 42 years. It’s being sold by her heirs.
108 Jackson Road, Mount Airy, Surry County
The Joe and Eleanor Powell House
- $229,900 (originally $239,900)
- 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,086 square feet, 0.55 acre
- Price/square foot: $110
- Built in 1954 (per county records) or thereabout
- Listed January 15, 2022
- Last sale: $1,650, March 1955
Piedmont Historic Homes 